After a brief stop at home, the Indiana Pacers will hit the road again for a short two-game journey, beginning this Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs, on the other hand, will look to win this one before heading on their own road trip.
Catch this game live on Saturday, March 27, at 8:30 AM, Manila time
HOME TEAM: Dallas Mavericks (23-19, 11-9 at home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Luka Doncic
- SG: Josh Richardson
- PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
- PF: Maxi Kleber
- C: Kristaps Porzingis
The Mavs snagged J.J. Reddick ahead of the trade deadline, but don’t expect him to make his debut in Dallas threads this Saturday. Reddick is still nursing a heel injury, but the Mavericks should still be fine even without him against the Pacers, whom they dominated in a 124-112 road win back in January.
All they needed was some sprinkle of Latvian spice, as Kristaps Porzingis scattered 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting in 32 minutes. Luka Doncic only had 13 points in 5-of-15 shooting in that game, but he’s been on fire of late. Doncic is averaging 31.4 points on 52.2 FG% in the last five games.
Dallas, which defeated the Timberwolves on Thursday on the road, 128-108, is 3-1 against the spread in its last four games. Dating back to 2016, the Mavs have covered the spread six times in 10 games against the Pacers.
ROAD TEAM: Indiana Pacers (20-23, 12-11 on the road)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Malcolm Brogdon
- SG: Caris LeVert
- SF: Justin Holiday
- PF: Domantas Sabonis
- C: Myles Turner
Indiana did not give Adrian Wojnarowski much ahead of the trade deadline, but the Pacers have already made noise prior to that when they defeated the Detroit Pistons, 116-111, last Thursday at home. The Pacers have a nice momentum going for them, as they have won three of their last four games while coming up with a 2-2 record against the spread over that short stretch.
Caris LeVert has given the Pacers a nice boost offensively since his return to action. He has averaged 16.7 points in the last seven games, though he’s only converted just 40.6% of his shots. Nevertheless, LeVert will be an additional offensive threat Dallas will have to be wary of and another piece that’s been a solid complementary piece around Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis.
Indiana will have Myles Turner this time around to help them, particularly on the glass. He missed the first meeting with Dallas this season due to a hand injury.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread:
With Myles Turner available, the Mavs can’t just dominate the rebounding battle just like in the first meeting. Having Caris LeVert coming off the bench will also boost the Pacers’ offense and give them a better chance at winning against Dallas. The Mavs will win, but the Pacers will cover (+4.5).
Over/Under:
The total hit the over in the first meeting, but this game should go under the 227.0 line, with the Pacers set to balance out the pace thanks to a better rebounding performance.
